Empathy
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: After Cedric asked her to aid him in becoming a better person, Sofia took his request to heart. Now she wants to demonstrate for him something that most people don't even fully understand: empathy.


Empathy

Summary: After Cedric asked her to aid him in becoming a better person, Sofia took his request to heart. Now she wants to demonstrate for him something that most people don't even fully understand: empathy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing…except a cheeseburger. Lol :D

A/N: Empathy is something I've always found intriguing. It's one thing to be sympathetic and caring toward someone, but it's another to actually _feel_ what someone else feels and offer a great deal of compassion, even if only momentarily. And naturally since this idea wouldn't leave my head, it just had to be written. Haha, enjoy!

"Come on, Mr. Cedric!" Sofia called as she ran ahead of the yawning sorcerer. She and her family had taken some time away from Enchancia for a bit and were enjoying a few days on a beach. It had taken a _lot_ of persuasion on her part, but the youngest princess had finally talked her mentor into going with them.

"I'm coming, Sofia," Cedric returned as he sluggishly followed the energetic girl. He'd been rudely awakened this morning by some pesky bird that was obviously _not_ Wormwood, because his dear feathered friend would certainly never make such horrid squawking noises _that_ early in the morning. 'Wormy is even a heavier sleeper than I am,' he'd told himself with a pointed glare at the offending tropical bird.

"Look," the princess breathed as her friend stood next to her. She pointed toward the horizon, where the sun was just beginning to peak over the water.

Cedric raised an eyebrow at her before gazing toward the sunrise. True, he did find it rather nice, but still…he could have been _sleeping_ right now. Wormwood had happily snuggled into his vacated cot and reveled in the warmth of the covers and pillows. 'Lucky raven,' he thought, sulking inwardly. "It's nice, Sofia."

" _Nice_? It's beautiful!" She smiled up at him before frowning at his distant expression. "Mr. Cedric, we need to talk."

"Uh…" He glanced down at her, not liking that particular sentence. Those words usually meant something rather serious, and he didn't know if he could handle a 'talk' this early in the morning. But still… "About what, Princess Sofia?"

The girl grabbed his hand and pulled him toward a large boulder, having them both sit upon it, their feet dangling just above the waves rushing to the shore. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, Sofia," Cedric insisted immediately, his eyes slightly wide at her admission. What on earth was she worried about him for anyway? He'd returned her amulet. He'd made amends with the curse. He'd somewhat come to terms with the reality of the situation. What more could _she_ do?

"I don't think so. Ever since you asked me to help you be a better person, you've been sort of…down. That's kind of the opposite of what 'good' people are supposed to do, Mr. Cedric. It should make you happy to do nice things."

"Well…" He shrugged, sighing. "I mean, it does feel good to help people most of the time, but I'm just…Cedric. I'm not exactly a people person. I'm still working to be a good sorcerer, much less a good person." He glanced at the sunrise again. "I suppose it takes time."

"Hmm." Sofia smiled as an idea came to her. She reached over and hugged her friend, making him freeze in surprise.

Cedric reluctantly hugged her back but found that she was not letting go. "Sofia, what are you doing?"

"Helping you." She beamed as she released him at last. "I have an idea."

"Wonderful," he enthused sarcastically as she giggled. "I can't wait to hear this one."

"You really want to be a 'better you?' Then it needs to come from your _heart_ , Mr. Cedric." She gestured a bit. "All those good things you did last week were wonderful. But you went _looking_ for the problems you could fix. Sometimes they need to just come to you. You'll know when an opportunity for a good deed presents itself, because it will be completely obvious." She smiled gently. "The drive to help someone who seems completely helpless or devastated—or to do the right thing when no one is watching—is what will _really_ make you a better person…not that I don't think you're pretty great already."

Cedric sighed and smiled appreciatively at her. "Thank you, Sofia. And I understand what you're saying, though I don't think _you_ fully understand… _my_ situation."

"Then help me understand," she urged him, watching him carefully. "You keep so many things to yourself, Mr. Cedric, and I don't like seeing what it's doing to you. I don't want you to go back to that place where you doubt yourself so much. You've come so far."

The sorcerer paused. He really didn't want her to worry about this sort of thing. She was still so young and had many other things to worry about…he shouldn't be one of those items on her list. Yet, she always found time to encourage him and worry about him. "Sofia… I'm all right. I won't be going back to _that_ place, as you called it." He even gently patted her hand assuredly, which caught her off guard. "And I know you want to make things perfect for me, but you can't."

She grinned playfully, imitating his accent when she asked, "Oh, I _can't_ , huh?"

Cedric gave her a deadpanned look. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Nope! I'm imitating you. Big difference." She giggled as he rolled his eyes. "I sort of understand what you're saying. I can't make you a 'better Mr. Cedric' more than you can make me a 'better Sofia.' But just know that if you ever need me to help you, whatever it takes, I'll do my best."

He chuckled and nodded, still surprised by the girl's selflessness. "Thank you, Princess."

"You're welcome. Now…" She smiled brightly as she tugged him off the rock and back down the beach. "James said he wanted to have a sandcastle contest, and the winners get first choice of dessert at supper tonight."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at the girl as she led him along. "I don't do sand. And I certainly don't do sandcastles…"

"You've got your wand, right?" She grinned as he smirked at her.

"Isn't that cheating?"

The princess giggled. "Not if we don't get caught!" She then smiled. "I'm just kidding, Mr. Cedric. Relax!"

Cedric shook his head. Great. It appeared he'd influenced her nearly as much as she was trying to influence him! "One sandcastle, and then I'm kicking Wormy out of my bed so I can get some more sleep."

The purple-clad girl laughed. "Whatever you say, Mr. Cedric."

The end

A/N: Let's call this my 'inspiration' story. :) I really do think empathy is one of those things lost in the world sometimes, so when people like Sofia try to keep it alive, it really makes me happy. Hope you liked it. This is my last story for a little while, perhaps till next weekend, so I'll hopefully have another one out for you all soon—maybe even "Obscure," which I'm really excited about. We'll see! ;) Have a good weekend, everyone! ~AquaTurquoise


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